Where There's Smoke
by boswifedeb
Summary: A series of theater fires leads Houston, Hoyt, and Rich Holt down a path of danger as they work to find out the guilty party. **Immediately follows "The Rio Grande Runs Red"** Rated T.
1. Chapter 1

**Where There's Smoke…**

****Immediately follows "…And Hell Followed With Him"****

"**The trouble ain't that there is too many fools,  
but that the lightning ain't distributed right."  
Mark Twain**

**CHAPTER 1**

"Okay, next on the list is…Houston?" Photographer Trina Jensen looked around the studio until her eyes landed on the rangy private investigator who now not only advised the LAPD but also the Fire Marshal's office.

CJ looked at her husband of two years who had been chosen to be part of the Fire Department's charity calendar. "Go on, hon - knock 'em dead." She gave him a kiss on the cheek and a small shove in the photographer's direction. He walked uncertainly to the smiling woman who shook his hand. "It's so nice to see you again. Come on up here and take that shirt off so Mary Ann can take a look at you." She took him by the arm and led him to the area where the makeup lady was set up. "Mary Ann, this is Houston."

"Hello." She gave him a big smile. "My goodness – let's get a look at you…" The woman looked at him from all sides. "You know, I believe he just needs a tiny bit of powder on his nose." She patted a cotton puff on the tip of his nose, grabbed him by the shoulders and sent him towards Trina. "Let me know how he looks under the lights, but I think he should be just fine."

"Great! We've really had it easy today. You boys haven't needed much work at all. Alright Houston – take that axe right there." She stepped back over where she had her camera set up. Giving him a few suggestions on poses she stopped for a minute and went over to him. "Relax a little, okay? Have fun with it." Following his gaze her eyes landed on CJ. "Is she your wife?"

"Yes ma'am." Matt watched as Jenson called CJ over and the two began talking. At almost sixteen weeks pregnant with twins, CJ's belly was showing and as she walked toward him he smiled.

"Hey, Cowboy. Trina says you need to relax a little." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him before whispering in his ear. After a slightly surprised look he got a mischievous grin on his face as CJ started backing away. "So what do you think?"

Matt nodded. "Sounds good." The grin showed up again and Trina began taking pictures as CJ continued to hold his attention and got him to take different poses. The photographer nodded her head and continued to snap pictures as the two exchanged sultry glances and in half an hour they were shooting all twelve of the firemen who had been chosen to participate in the calendar. In another thirty minutes they were done and Matt had changed back into jeans and a t-shirt and was walking out to his truck with CJ. He opened the door for her and before climbing in she wrapped her arms around his neck once again and pulled him down for a kiss.

"Thanks for being here." His hands were on her waist and they kissed again.

"I wouldn't have missed this for the world." After helping her into the truck, Matt walked around and opened the back door on the crew cab, stashing his turn out gear in the storage compartment under the back seat before getting behind the wheel.

"Ready to go home?" He reached across the console for her hand.

"Yep. Catey will want her ride on Cricket with you."

At 3:00AM Matt groaned as he fumbled for the phone at the side of the bed. He checked the caller ID: Rich Holt. "Yeah, Rich?" CJ, whose top half was draped over her husband's belly sleepily yawned and opened one eye, rolling over onto the bed and looking up at him.

"Houston, we're slammed and I need your help." After giving the PI the address where he was needed he thanked him. "You're flying solo on this one, buddy."

"Okay. See ya later." Matt was already half dressed. He had taken to laying out his clothes every night in case he received a call from either the fire department or Michael Hoyt. Turning back to his wife he kissed her. "Go back to sleep, Babe. Love you."

"Love you. Be careful." She watched as he walked through the bedroom door still yawning.

As he drove down the long driveway of the ranch nestled in the Santa Monica Mountains, Houston cracked the window on the truck allowing the cool air to flow inside. When he passed through the gate at the bottom of the hill the cowboy hit the switch for the blue and red lights that were now installed on the front of the truck. It wasn't until he hit traffic that Matt used the siren. Pulling up almost a block and a half away from Thorson's Theater, he hurriedly donned his gear, checking the air tank before grabbing the clipboard that contained the forms, camera, and small evidence bags. He also grabbed the camera that was now one of his latest projects.

Houston quickly spotted Battalion Chief Mark Weston who was giving orders to the men and women around him and the firefighters who had made entry into the building. Located in a row of shops and restaurants, Thorson's was one of the oldest around and due to its location on world famous Hollywood Boulevard, it was widely known for its classic interior of red velvet seats and ornate frescoes. Not only was the theater now in danger of destruction but the other businesses in the strip were as well.

Weston looked over and saw Houston approaching. "I'm glad to see you. This one is bad and deteriorating quickly. You probably want to go on in…" He paused. "Are you by yourself?"

"Yes sir. Rich said I was flying solo."

"Son, be careful in there." Weston handed him a radio. "Don't take any chances."

"Yes sir." Matt put on the mask with the radio now attached to it and then his helmet, then headed inside while turning on the video camera that he and Derwin Dunlap were now collaborating on; he had tested it out a couple of times and they were trying to decide if it was the right size for the job. On one hand it needed to be small enough to be taken inside a fire, but at the same time big enough that it could be operated easily while the user was wearing protective gloves.

Following behind a pair of firefighters wading into the theater with a hose, he noticed that one group was concentrating on the concession stand where the flames were reaching all the way to the ceiling. Going down to the end of the counter, Houston caught a glimpse of a trail of what appeared to have been popcorn behind the counter. The wrappers and boxes of the candy that were under the counters were already burnt to the point of being nearly impossible to identify. He made sure to film the walls behind the counter as well where the flames were making their way up toward the roof. There was no way he could take a sample behind the counter at that moment so he decided to go on in to the theater where several hoses had been run.

Once inside, he noticed that the fire had possibly been burning longer in the seats than it had in the concession stand and appeared to have been started near the center aisle of seats. Looking up toward the ceiling for the famous frescoes, he couldn't see them for all of the thick smoke that was filling the auditorium. There were three sections of seating on the ground floor and the center aisle of each appeared to have been where the fires were set; the charred remains of what had once been red velvet seats were nothing more than smoldering melted springs. As he continued to film, his eye was caught by something toward the middle of the center aisle. He carefully walked through the debris, still filming, and knelt down next to what he thought was the remains of a flare. Pulling out an evidence bag, he picked up the half burned cylinder and tucked it into the bag, sealing it and labeling it on the spot before retrieving residue samples from both the springs and the charred floor. The eastern section of seating in the theater had also been extinguished and he moved over to see what he could find there and once again collected residue samples from the floor.

The firefighters were now concentrated on the western section of seating, the balcony area, and the curtains and screen at the front of the auditorium. As he looked at the curtains burning up front, he noticed that they appeared to have caught fire near the center of the towering draperies. Matt zoomed in on it and moved that way as a shout went through the radio that the curtains were collapsing. Two firefighters were doing their best to move backward with one of the heavy hoses but weren't quick enough: the flaming curtains came down on top of them. Matt and two other firefighters removed the heavy rod from their backs and helped them back up on their feet seeming none the worse for wear. Removing a knife from his clipboard the PI knelt down over the curtains and cut out a section of material and stuffed it into an evidence bag. On the raised stage immediately behind where the curtains had been hanging he saw another partial cylinder and collected it as well before moving over to the western section of seating where he collected more samples. That area was now doused and the firemen were sifting through the debris looking for hotspots. Returning to the lobby, Matt was able to get behind the counter and collect samples both from the floor and the counter top, including what was clearly popcorn.

Next he went up to the balcony area where another group was checking for hotspots. Once again he found a partial cylinder and something bizarre: one entire row of the balcony had popcorn scattered in the seats along with an oily substance but only two seats had received any fire damage and it was minimal. The PI turned and went back down to the lobby and out to his truck, and since the fire was now out, removed the air tank, mask and helmet before digging around in a tool box and finding a large crescent wrench and a new tarp still in its packaging. Putting the helmet back on, Matt went back in and up to the balcony and loosened the bolts on one of the seats, putting it on the tarp before carefully wrapping it up and going back down to the truck. After putting it in the back seat, he picked up his clipboard and laser tape measure and began documenting the scene. He dusted the remnants of the popcorn machine for prints and then began measuring the scene and filling out the forms for his report. Mark Weston came inside when Matt was about half finished. "How's it going?"

"Pretty good." Matt finished writing down some measurements.

"What was that you hauled out of here earlier?"

"A seat from the balcony. Want to go up and take a look?" After receiving a nod from the Battalion Chief the PI led him up the stairs to the balcony. "This is where I took the seat out, but look at the rest of that row."

"Why in hell…they never leave this place dirty. This is about the only theater my wife will come to anymore because of all the trash and sticky floors in the others around."

"And there's also something oily on the upholstery; I think it might be coconut oil."

"They use that in the popcorn don't they?"

"Yes sir – and I also found what I think are what's left of three flares. They're bagged and in the truck."

"So a pretty clear case of arson." Weston nodded. "Do you need anything?"

"No sir, just got to finish up the paperwork and then make a trip to the lab. Thanks, though." The two men shook hands and Matt returned to his work as Weston walked out the front doors.

Almost an hour later, Houston returned to his truck, taking off the rest of his turn out gear and grabbing a bottle of water out of the cooler before sliding behind the wheel. It was almost 6:00AM and the sun would be rising in a matter of minutes. He yawned, turned the ignition on the truck and pulled away from the curb as he headed toward the lab. Once there he ran into Rich who was just walking out the front door.

"Hey Rookie, I was about to call you. How'd it go?"

"Very interesting – got some goodies here for Yoshi to run." He grabbed the box that contained the swabs, the piece of curtain, and the flares and then reached back in for the tarp-wrapped seat.

"What's that?" Rich took the box from him as Matt carefully hoisted the parcel on his shoulder.

"A seat."

"Uh huh…so what did you find?" Rich opened the door to the building for him and they walked down the hall to the lab as Matt told him. "Holy cow…" He looked at the evidence as Matt pulled it out of the box and logged it into the system. "Yeah, those are definitely flares – or what's left of them anyway."

"How about we go grab some breakfast before I come back and start putting all my notes in the computer?"

"Sounds like a good idea. There won't be anyone here to run this stuff until 8:00."


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

By 9:30, Matt had finished putting all of his notes into the computer including detailed drawings of the layout of the theater that showed the damage that had occurred. He had already talked to CJ and Catey Rose that morning and as he went out to get in the truck he thought about his daughter. She was just a few days away from her first birthday, a fact that seemed unreal to the cowboy. He clearly remembered the day that she was born on the ranch in the barn during a tornado. Laughing, Matt thought about how lucky he was to have not only CJ in his life, but Catey as well and in a few short months there would be twins. He was absolutely positive that they would be boys and at 10:00 he hoped to have proof of his belief; CJ was going for her ultrasound and he was headed that way to be with her. If the two would cooperate they would know for sure, although in his heart Matt already knew.

He pulled up outside of the clinic run by CJ's sorority sister Carol LeMaster who was now their personal physician. A few minutes later CJ pulled into the lot and they walked inside hand in hand. After a short wait they went back to the ultrasound room where the gel was applied to CJ's belly. They exchanged a look and were still holding hands when Lacey gave both of them a big smile. "Here you go, Mom and Dad." She turned the monitor so that they could see, and sure enough both of the babies were boys. Matt let out a whoop and kissed his wife as the tech laughed. "You're pretty good at this guessing game that we play around here, Houston."

"No guessing involved." Matt shared a knowing look with CJ. "So…" He kissed her again. "Should I change my business card?" They both laughed and then settled down so that Lacey could make her measurements and finish the exam before they went to one of the other rooms to wait for Carol to give CJ her checkup. Matt removed the picture of the ultrasound from his pocket, set it on the counter, and took a picture of it.

"Whatcha doing, hon?" CJ watched as he began punching on the phone's screen.

"Letting Vince and Michael know." His smile was from ear to ear. "There." Leaning over, he gave her another kiss, this one much more involved than the one in the ultrasound room. Neither one heard Carol come in until she cleared her throat.

"So it's two little boys in there, huh?" She shook her head and smiled at the pair. "Boy, are you two in for it!" Giving the pair a hug she congratulated them.

Matt's phone buzzed and he looked at it as Carol was taking CJ's temperature. They heard a chuckle. "Vince or Michael?" CJ looked over at him.

"Michael. He says _"God help us!"_" All three cracked up and then the phone buzzed again and Matt laughed once more. "Vince says, _"Noooooooooooo!"_" They cracked up again. After the exam, the pair went to the penthouse offices of Houston Investigations where Matt wanted to do a little research into Thorson's Theater.

Although CJ had been doing most of her work from home for the last month, she had a lunch date scheduled with a friend and was going to look through some papers for Carol. As they stepped off of the elevator, their secretary Chris Chase was waiting for them, her own baby bump showing quite well. "So how did it go?" Matt pulled out the picture and handed it over. "Oh, my gosh! You were right again, Boss!" She gave both of them a big hug.

A familiar voice was heard coming from the main part of the office and Matt's Uncle Roy appeared in the doorway. "So you were right, huh?" He smiled as Matt handed him the picture. "Congratulations, Matt." He gave his nephew a hug and then CJ. "I wonder how Miss Catherine Rose is going to like having two little boys around?"

"Knowing her she'll rule the roost." Matt chuckled as he put the picture in his wallet and headed for the coffee pot. "What are you up to today?"

"Well, nothing now. I was supposed to meet with a client but he called and said he changed his mind. What are you doing?"

"About to get to work on a fire scene investigation. Did you hear about Thorson's Theater?" Matt walked across to the couch and stepped over the back of it as did Roy.

"Yeah, saw it on the news this morning. So you landed that one."

"Solo." Matt smiled proudly.

"Congratulations again. You're having a really good day." Roy laughed as Matt punched the keys on the computer and began reading about the theater and its history. "How bad was it damaged?"

"Pretty bad. Chief Weston and his men did a really good job keeping it from spreading to the businesses on either side. They may have some smoke and water cleanup but should be fine. Thorson's though – that's another matter." He accessed the footage that he had recorded and played it as CJ and Chris came to sit with them.

"You were actually inside that place while it was burning?" Chris looked at her boss.

"Yeah, sometimes we have to do that." He pointed out what he had found, in particular the flares. "I got a partial number off of one of them…" Working the keyboard for a minute he was rewarded. "Yep, that looks like what I found." He and the others read the information on the manufacturer's website. "They're used in flare guns…that makes sense. Our guy could be a distance away when he starts the fire." Pulling up the footage of the center aisle he pointed. "See the direction of the smoke and char right there? It went straight up and then went in two opposite directions. That's the only place on that row of seats where it's like that. That's where he shot the flare and started that row on fire."

Moving the footage further along, he showed them the hole in the curtain. "Now according to the manufacturer, that flare is 12-gauge and can burn for about eighteen seconds. The maximum distance on it is 500 feet. That would make a dandy fire starter."

"I would say so." Roy nodded.

"But it looks like our boy either had aiming problems or one of the flares didn't ignite properly." Matt brought up the pictures from the balcony. "I'm waiting on the lab to run the samples but I believe that this…" He indicated the greasy looking trail along the row of seats. "…is coconut oil. And here's another flare." Leaning back he took a sip of coffee. "You can tell from looking at it something went wrong with that one; it didn't burn like the others. There's more of it left."

"That's good for us." Chris nodded her head as Matt smiled.

"The popcorn on that row of seats is really out of character. That's about the cleanest theater in town. The cleaning crew doesn't leave until that place is spotless." Roy had been there many times since moving to LA a few years back.

"Which leads to some other folks that I need to talk to today." Matt pulled out his notebook and wrote _TALK TO CLEANING CREW_ before also writing _TALK TO OWNER AND MANAGER_. He went back to the computer and pulled the first tab that he had opened back on top. "Here's one of the folks I need to chat with – Todd Conley." Reading through the information on the forty year old he spoke again. "Conley inherited the chain of seven theaters from his maternal grandfather Garrick Thorson when he passed away eight years ago…wow; this guy was 105 when he died. That's impressive. Mr. Thorson opened the first theater – the one that burned – in 1930. Boy that took some work. Right during the Depression was a hard time to start a business."

"That was about the only luxury some folks had back then." Roy spoke up. "Not to mention the fact that they were a lot cheaper to run in those days. The movie stars weren't making the multi-million dollar salaries that they do now. It was a cheap way to escape reality for a few hours."

"It sure isn't anymore. Murray and I went to see a movie last weekend and the concessions were almost as expensive as the tickets." The secretary shook her head. "Anyone trying to escape from reality today has to look somewhere else besides the movie theater."

"Guess it's time for me to go and talk to them. Somebody obviously wanted that place burnt down for whatever reason." Matt closed up the computer before leaning over and kissing CJ on the cheek. "Don't get too tired."

"I won't. Be careful out there."

"Yes ma'am." He started to leave and turned back around. "Uncle Roy – want to go with me?"

"What the heck. I don't have anything else to do besides babysit you." He gave the women a wink as he turned. Giving CJ a peck on the cheek he congratulated her again and then gave Chris a kiss, too.

"Wow! What was that for?"

"Because you're absolutely glowing." The older man whistled as he followed Matt out to the elevator and the two left for Todd Conley's office, Houston turning right out of the parking garage and then left on Fifth. His route would have him turning onto Wilshire and then heading west until he came to Santa Monica Boulevard where he would hang a right. The pair chatted as they headed up toward Conley's office that was located in a modern looking concrete and glass building located at the corner of Santa Monica and Camden, home to Coastal Finance Bank in Beverly Hills. They got on the elevator and went to the third floor, turned left, and went to Suite 306. Once inside, the reception area was empty save for the receptionist.

"May I help you?"

"Yes ma'am." Matt flashed his ID and informed her he was with the Fire Marshal's office and was working on the theater fire that had occurred early that morning. "I need to speak with Mr. Conley."

"I'll have to see if he's available. Please have a seat." She got up and went into a room sporting a large oak paneled door.

"How are you feeling?" Matt looked over at his uncle. A few months earlier he had suffered a heart attack and after a little vacation time and some medication looked extremely well.

"Fine. Actually, I feel better than I have in quite a while." He gave Matt a smile. "Don't worry – I won't croak in the middle of the interview." Both cracked up as the receptionist held the door for them.

"Mr. Conley can see you now."

They walked into the office that overlooked busy Santa Monica Boulevard and was part of what was known as "The Golden Triangle": a shopping area that caters exclusively to the wealthiest people in the Los Angeles area. "Mr. Houston is it?" Todd Conley stood behind his desk and shook Matt's hand.

"This is my uncle, Roy Houston. I'm an advisor to the Fire Marshal's Office and am investigating the fire at your theater early this morning."

"Please – have a seat, gentlemen. Would you like a drink?"

"No, thank you. Mr. Conley, do you know of anyone who would want to destroy your theater?" Matt had his notebook and pen out and was closely watching him.

"Heavens no – I can't imagine why anyone would. We've strived to keep it the nicest theater in town." He shook his head. "When I was first notified this morning I just couldn't believe it was true until I went down there to see for myself. I haven't been able to go inside yet since it's still under investigation…but I guess that would be you?"

"Yes sir. Did you have any recent problems with employees or neighboring businesses – or maybe an unhappy customer?"

"No…well, yes. Unfortunately the manager told me that he had to fire a longtime member of the cleaning crew due to excessive absenteeism. But I really can't imagine that he would have done something like that."

"Would you be able to tell me his name?"

"Well…" Conley thought. "I'm sorry – no. It just isn't coming to mind right now but I'm sure the manager could help you with that." He wrote a name and number on a slip of paper and handed it to Matt. "Ryan Quinn."

"Thank you." Matt tucked the paper into the notebook. "Had there been any electrical problems reported by chance?"

"No, not that I know of, but there again I'm sure Ryan could tell you more about that. I've got six other theaters scattered across the area which doesn't leave me much time to spend on each individual location."

"Well Mr. Conley, I appreciate your help. We'll try to get this settled as quickly as possible."

"It was a pleasure to meet you – both of you. Just let me know if there's anything else I can do to help." He walked them to the door of the office and neither spoke until they got back to the truck.

"Alright so next we go talk to the manager." Houston pulled out his cell phone and called the number that Conley had given them for Quinn. "Mr. Quinn? Hi, my name's Matt Houston…oh, he did. Is there somewhere we can meet? Uh huh…" He jotted down an address near the theater. "Yes sir, is about fifteen to twenty minutes okay? Alright then. Goodbye." Disconnecting the call he started the truck and backed out of the parking space. "It's an apartment on Ivar." As they waited for the light on Santa Monica he looked over at Roy. "So how are you and Mama doing?" Roy had been dating "Mama" Rosa Novelli since Matt and CJ got married.

"Fine." He was smiling as he looked out the window.

"So as your favorite nephew that's all I get – just fine?" Matt cut his eyes over at the man.

"You're my only nephew – it isn't like I've got much choice in the matter of you being my favorite." Both chuckled.

"And?"

"Getting nosy in your old age are you?" Roy tried his best to look irritated.

"I learned from you. So – what's going on with you two? Will there be wedding invitations?"

"No, I don't think so." Roy wasn't smiling at all now and could feel his nephew's eyes on him. "We, uh…" He paused. "We just decided to keep things simple."

"Meaning?"

"You're not going to make this easy for me are you?" Roy looked over at the man.

"As I recall you pestered the dickens out of me about CJ for quite a few years. Payback time."

"It isn't the same, Matt. Neither one of you had been married before."

"Uncle Roy, Vince's dad has been dead for…decades. Why is that stopping you two?"

"It isn't stopping me. I popped the question almost a year ago." Roy hadn't told anyone about that.

"Uh huh – so she said no because of him?"

"Partially." The older Houston sighed. "First off she was afraid that her sons would get upset over her wanting to remarry. Then there's the difference of religion."

"I wondered if that was part of it." Both were quiet for a moment. "So have any of them gotten upset over y'all being a couple?"

"Not really – Michael doesn't seem too happy but he's not saying much; everyone else is all for it."

"So basically we're back to religion." He nodded. "She's Catholic – you're not. And she wants a church wedding is that it?"

"She does."

"But that isn't really a big deal anymore in the Catholic religion is it? Besides they have classes where you can convert if you want to…"

"We talked about it but she just…" He shrugged.

"Have the two of you talked to a priest?"

"No, she's afraid to approach the subject."

"Now wait a minute – her son Tony is a priest. Surely she can talk to him." Vince also had a son named Tony, named for his brother.

"She's afraid."

"What about Vince?"

"He suggested the same thing and I did, too." Roy got quiet. "Maybe…" He shook his head no.

"Maybe what?"

"Maybe if you and CJ talked to her…" He sighed. "Matt, after Flo I never thought I could love another woman…but Rosa is…" He gestured. "She's a breath of fresh air, and life, and laughter. Someone I want to spend the rest of my life with."

Matt stopped the truck outside the apartment building and shut off the engine. "Want me to talk to CJ? 'Cause I gotta tell you, she's all onboard. We talk about you two…a lot."

"You two don't have a better way to spend your time?" Roy gave him a lopsided grin.

"Gotta have a little rest in between ya know." Matt opened the door as did Roy and they started up the stairs.

"Must be getting old."

"Why – are the stairs bothering you?" He stopped, not wanting his uncle to do anything too strenuous.

"No, I meant you…needing a rest in between." The older man laughed as he went ahead of his nephew.

"She's the one that…never mind; I'm not going there." He caught up with Roy.

"Too late – you already did." Roy chuckled as he knocked on the door of apartment 21. It was opened by a balding man in his early forties.

Matt showed his Fire Department ID. "Mr. Quinn, I'm Matt Houston."

"Sure, come on in." He opened the door and let them in. "Have a seat."

"Mr. Conley said that you might be able to give us a little more information about an employee that you recently fired?"

"Mitch Camden." Quinn nodded his head. "But I really don't think that he would do anything like that."

"Mr. Conley told us that he was fired for excessive absenteeism, is that right?"

"Sure was, I really don't understand what happened with him. He had been there for almost twenty years on the cleaning crew. Everybody has to call out sometime, but it got to be habit with him. He was gone more than he was working. It got to where we couldn't count on him and had to let him go."

"Did he seem overly angry about it?" Matt was jotting down the information.

"No, not at all. He just left. The only time I've seen him since is when he brought his uniform back and collected his final paycheck. He was always nice – never a bit of trouble until he started missing."

"Would you happen to have an address or phone number by chance?"

"I've got a phone number. Hang on." He pulled out his phone and searched for it. "Here we go: 555-8312."

"Can you think of anyone else who might have had a beef with you – an angry customer – someone like that?"

"No, a lot of our customers have been coming there for years and years. We very rarely have any problems."

"When I was in there this morning I didn't see any security cameras."

"No, we don't have any."

"And would you happen to know who the last person was to leave last night?"

"That would be me. I stay and work on the night's take while the cleaning crew works. When they're done we all leave at the same time. Safety in numbers you know."

"Yes sir. Would you be able to give me a list of the cleaning crew…and the rest of your employees?"

"Sure. But I'm telling you…" He pulled up his phone directory again. "…none of our people would do this." He rattled off the names and their phone numbers.

"Do y'all ever leave popped popcorn in the machine after closing?"

"No, never; it would be stale by morning and would attract bugs and mice – we have to be careful about that with all of the sweets that are in the concession stand. Can you tell me how bad the damage is?"

"It's pretty bad, Mr. Quinn. I would say that it will need an awful lot of work done to be able to reopen." Matt stood and held out his hand. "I sure appreciate your time."

"No problem – that's all I've got now is time. I hope I still have a job when this is all said and done."


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

"Houston." Matt answered his phone just as he was pulling into the parking garage of the Houston Industries Building.

"Hey, it's Yoshi. I don't have everything run just yet but I do have a couple of things for you."

"Okay, shoot."

"First – you were right. Coconut oil had been poured onto the seat that you brought in. And second there was a hit off of the fingerprints on the popcorn machine. They came back to Gregory Ashford. I sent the information to your email. Oh, and I've got someone getting the videos from the neighboring businesses for you."

"Okay, that's something. Thanks a lot." He hung up and got out of the truck. CJ was just exiting the elevator on the way to her lunch date. Matt let out a wolf whistle causing her to stop and pop a hand on her hip.

"You've got to be kidding." She shook her head.

"You look hot to me." He opened the door on the Navigator for her before pulling her in for a kiss. "So after lunch you're…?"

"I'm going home, hon."

"Just making sure." He gave her another kiss. "Be careful, okay?"

"It's just lunch – I'm not invading another country." She slid behind the wheel and put her seat belt on as Matt closed the door. "See you later, Cowboy. Love you."

"Love you." He gave her another peck on the cheek and headed for the elevator, Roy joining him. As they rode upstairs he looked at his uncle. "Who was it you were supposed to meet with this morning?"

"Marshall Renault. Ever heard of him?"

"No, should I?"

"I don't guess so – I hadn't either. He wouldn't tell me what it was about over the phone. But I did tell him we don't take divorce cases." They entered the empty office. Chris had already left for lunch with her husband Murray.

"Maybe whatever the problem was straightened itself out." They went up the steps and into the office, Matt going over the back of the couch and pulling up BABY to work on the list of employees that he had gotten from Ryan Quinn. Roy walked over with two cups of coffee and had a seat on the couch, handing a mug to his nephew. "Thanks." He pored over the information on the screen, but didn't find anything of particular interest on any of them, including Mitch Camden. "Huh…well, let's see what Yoshi sent me on Ashford." Pulling up his email, he began reading. "This guy has been in some trouble before but not for arson." Both he and Roy looked around as the elevator chimed. The familiar voice of Michael Hoyt rang out. "Anybody home?"

"Yep, we're in here." Matt turned back to the screen as his friend came into the office and sat down next to Roy. "What's up?"

"Nothing. Just passing by and thought I'd drop in and see what was going on." He looked up at the screen. "What are you working on?"

"The Thorson Theater fire."

"I heard about that. Damn shame – that's the nicest one in town. So what have you got?" He watched the screen as Matt showed him some of the footage and what he had found, then told him about the confirmation that it was indeed coconut oil on the seat and then last the fingerprint information. "This guy has had drunk and disorderly and assault charges, but nothing related to arson." Matt wrote down the address and looked it up on the computer. "159th Street in South Lawndale." He then went back and looked up information about the employee that had recently been fired from Thorson's, Mitch Camden. "Think I can borrow Sanchez for a minute?" He looked over at Michael.

"Sure." The cop watched as Matt pulled the phone out of his pocket. "Hey Luis…no, he's sitting here on the couch at the office." He chuckled. "Can I get you to look up a guy for me? Mitch Camden…lives over on Kingwell in the Los Feliz area." He waited. "Uh huh…that would be great. Thanks, bud. See ya." He hung up and pulled up his email. "And let's see…Camden had absolutely no record at all until about a year ago when…huh. He got pulled over for a broken taillight and had some wacky tobacky in the car. Kinda old for that."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Roy arched an eyebrow and looked at his nephew.

"Not…" He sighed. "He never got caught until last year when he was sixty one years old. Most folks start that kinda thing when they're younger…unless they've got a medical reason for it." He exchanged a look with Michael. "Guess I better go pay him a visit, too. But…" Writing down the address he closed up the computer and stood up, stretching. "First I'm gonna go see Gregory Ashford." He turned and started over the couch and chuckled. "Think _Ash_ford is an arsonist?" He cut his eyes over at Roy and Hoyt who both rolled their eyes.

"Guess we should cut him some slack today. He did get some tough news this morning. There are going to be two more just like him running around." Roy looked at Michael and smiled.

"We _ALL_ got some tough news this morning – who are you kidding?" They headed for the elevator. "Do you need any help with the Ashford guy?"

"Are you volunteering?" Houston hit the button for the parking garage.

"I'm between…" Hoyt's phone rang. "Yeah, Luis?" He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Yeah, I'm on it. Thanks." Hanging up he looked at the two PI's. "Duty calls."

"You said duty." Matt gave a goofy laugh as Roy slapped him on the back of the head.

"Thanks for that, Roy." Michael stuck his tongue out at his best friend. "You two be careful out there."

After an almost thirty minute trip on the 110 down to the South Lawndale area, Matt pulled into the parking lot of a nearby park and opened up the back door on the truck, retrieving two bullet proof vests. Handing one across the cab of the truck to his uncle he pulled out another for himself and put it on along with his holster and pistol. When he got back behind the wheel he pulled down his Fire Department ID and clipped it onto the front of the vest. Roy climbed back in and looked at the vest. "Nice, but just a tad big." He cut his eyes over at his nephew.

"Remind me when we get back to the office – there's two there that you can have." Matt said nothing about the vest being bigger. He was a little touchy about the weight that he had gained since marrying CJ and Roy decided it was best to skip the opportunity to rib him about it. Although he hadn't said anything, he thought that his nephew actually looked a lot better than he had a couple of years earlier, with most of the weight gain being muscle that he had put on from working out.

"Okay here we are." Matt put the truck in park and got out, going up the sidewalk and to the front porch. Standing slightly to the side, he knocked on the door. Roy remained out on the curb watching in case Ashford came around from the back. The younger Houston knocked on the door again, this time a little louder. The door was opened by a lady in her sixties who didn't look happy about being disturbed.

"This better be good. I'm trying to watch "Passion and Pride" in here. The big wedding is about to happen and Chelsea doesn't know that…what did you want?" She popped her hands on her hips.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry to bother you. I'm looking for Gregory Ashford."

"Huh, you and me both; that no good left owing me $800 and took my Great Aunt Beulah's silverware to boot. What do you want with him?"

"We need to talk to him about a fire that happened overnight. Guess you don't have any idea where I could find him, do you?"

"No, but if you do find him let me know. I'd like to jerk a knot in his neck."

"Yes ma'am – could I get your name and number, please?" Matt pulled out his notebook and she rattled it off.

"Miss Christine Frazier – 555-5584."

"Thank you. And if you should happen to see or hear anything about where he is would you please give me a call?" He handed her one of his cards.

"I will. Oh, there's the Wedding March! I've got to go." She unceremoniously closed the door and Matt turned back to the truck shaking his head. He and Roy both removed the vests and replaced them in the back before returning to their seats. "How about some lunch?" The younger man pulled away from the curb.

As they sat out on the patio of the restaurant, Matt's phone rang. "Hey Babe."

"Just wanted to check in and let you know I made it home. How's it going?"

"Too slow to suit me. I'm hunting for a possible suspect without much luck yet. How's Catey?"

"She's down for her nap right now. Sheila and I are about to have a cup of tea out on the patio."

"Alright. I've got to interview another guy – if I can find him. Right now Uncle Roy and I are waiting on our lunch." He looked at his uncle. "By the way, we were talking earlier…" He went on to tell her what he and Roy had discussed about Mama Novelli.

"I'll see what I can do. Maybe we can talk some sense into her. You two stay out of trouble."

"Yes ma'am. Love you."

"You too, sweetie. 'Bye."

Matt put the phone back into his pocket as their lunch order was brought to the table. As he dug into the Chef's Salad, he looked over at Roy once again. "I'd say if anybody can convince her it's CJ."

"I appreciate it." The two ate in silence for a few minutes. "If she finally agrees, what would you say to being my best man?"

"I'd be honored." Matt gave him a big smile. "Relax…between your charm and CJ's smarts it'll happen."

Driving back north and east once again, Matt found the home of Mitch Camden in the Los Feliz area east of the theater. It was a small house with an immaculately groomed lawn. As soon as he pulled into the curb the PI saw the sign on the front lawn: FORECLOSURE. He and his uncle exchanged a look, the older Houston speaking up. "I've got a feeling there's more going on here than meets the eye, Mattlock – and more than Quinn told us about."

"I've got a feeling you're right." Matt debated as he got out of the truck about putting the vest and gun back on but decided against it and Roy seemed to be of a similar opinion. They went up the walk to the front steps and knocked. In a minute the door was opened by a man in his sixties.

"Can I help you?"

"Yes sir, if you're Mitch Camden."

"I am." The PI showed his Fire Department ID. "Is this about the fire last night?"

"Yes sir, it is. Have you got a minute?"

"Sure…" He looked back over his shoulder. "Do you mind if we sit on the front porch? It's kind of a mess in here right now – I've been packing and there are boxes on the couch and all."

"That's fine by me." Matt stepped back away from the door as Camden came out.

"Please, have a seat." He waved to a swing and the two PI's both sat as Camden himself sat down in a white wicker chair. "What can I do to help?"

"Well…" Matt hated to even ask. Camden didn't strike him as being a fire bug or trouble maker of any kind. "Mr. Camden, you wouldn't happen to know of anyone who would want to burn down the theater would you?"

"No, most folks like it." He looked out across the yard and then down at his feet. "I didn't have anything to do with it. I guess that's why you're here?"

"Well sir, I was told that you just got fired." Houston shrugged his shoulders. "We're trying to cover all the bases and get to the bottom of it as quick as possible. If you know of anything that could help us it would sure be appreciated."

Camden looked him straight in the eye. "I didn't do it; wouldn't do it. I loved that place."

Roy finally spoke up. "Could I ask what happened? Mr. Quinn said that you had been a top employee and then…"

"I worked there for over twenty years." Camden looked around at the flowers in the yard. "My wife got sick about a year ago…bone cancer. It was always just the two of us. We never had any children. And when she got sick there wasn't anyone else to take care of her. Right before the end…" He began to choke up. "I just couldn't leave her."

"That's why you had the marijuana…for her." Matt's voice was very quiet.

"You know about that, huh?" Camden nodded. "She was hurting and wouldn't eat, and the doctors just didn't seem to understand. We tried everything and a friend of mine suggested marijuana but the doctors wouldn't give her a prescription. That was before they passed the new law. So…" He shrugged. "I did what I had to do. It helped a little bit. She died the day after I got fired."

Matt looked around at the house. "Mr. Camden…if you don't mind my asking…how much did you owe when they foreclosed?"

"$50,000. I had taken out a second mortgage to pay for Martina's medicine." He watched as Matt pulled out his phone and called the number on the sign. After being switched to two different agents he finally got through to a supervisor and arranged to have the balance paid within twenty four hours and the title sent to Camden.

"Mr. Houston…" The widower began crying. "How…why did you do that?"

"Because I can…" Matt stood up. "And somebody sure as hell needed to do it. You don't deserve that." He held out his hand to the man who shook it and then watched as the two men went down the walk and got into the truck.

"You're a pretty nice fella, Mr. Houston." Roy patted his nephew on the shoulder.

"Thanks, Mr. Houston." He drove along for a few minutes, headed back toward the office. "Well…"

"Nowhere to go on it at the moment without finding Ashford is there?"

"Pretty much." Houston pulled out his phone and made a call to Rich and filled him in. "The only thing I know to do is put out an APB on him."

"Without the video yet, that's about all you can do." Holt leaned back in his desk chair and sipped coffee.

"Alright. I'll just talk to Michael and let him take care of that for us and then…I don't know. I'll figure something out. Talk to you later." He hung up and swung by the police station. As he and Roy exited the elevator Hoyt and Lee Jennings were moving a desk around in the squad room. "Did ya go into the moving business, pard?"

"Cute, PI. No, we're getting Oxford's old desk moved out of here and making room for another. We're getting a replacement."

"And the LT here won't tell us who it is." Carl Trenton spoke up.

"They couldn't be any worse than Oxford." Matt helped them load the desk onto the elevator before walking over to talk to Sanchez about the APB for Gregory Ashford. Once that was completed he helped Jennings and Trenton move in the new desk. Just as they got it in place, the elevator chimed and a familiar face emerged: Sergeant Gabriella Giovanni stepped onto the fourth floor carrying a box in her arms. Michael had a big smile on his face. "Alright all you bums – here's our new detective." A cheer went up around the squad room.

Matt stuck out his hand and shook with the new detective who had recently been promoted. "You have my deepest sympathies and condolences, Gabby." He immediately winced as Michael popped him on the back of the head. "Better watch it, cop. That's two."

After finishing up at the station, Matt dropped Roy back off at the parking garage and headed home. Gregory Ashford most likely was their fire bug, but the PI hadn't found any connection between him and the theater. Most arsonists were looking to make a profit but some fires were started for reasons of hate. Putting the Thorson fire at the back of his mind, Matt parked behind the house nestled in the Santa Monica Mountains and was greeted by his four ladies: CJ, Catey, Sheila, and of course Tilly. He took Catey down to the barn where they went for their nightly ride on Cricket and then back up to the house for supper, after which he went back down to the barn to work with Jasper, the buckskin stallion that he had rescued a few months earlier. The horse had overcome his fear of people and was turning out to be one of the best that Matt had ever owned. They had completed most of his training already but there were still a few things that the cowboy wanted to work on and he spent as much time as possible with the horse.

It was almost dark when he made his way back up to the house and gave Catey a bath before putting her to bed and then pulling out his Fire Chemistry books and the laptop, heading out to the patio to study for the next test.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

"Yeah, Fred?" Matt had been awakened by his ringing cell phone at 2:34AM.

"Hey, we've got another theater fire and the boss wants you to take it since you're already dealing with Thorson's. It's another one that belongs to them - the 5600 block of North Figueroa. Will you do it?"

"Sure. Be there ASAP." He hung up and began dressing as CJ watched sleepily from the bed. "I'll call you later, Babe. Try to get some sleep, okay?" He leaned over and kissed her. "Love you."

"Love you. Be careful. I swear I'm gonna record that." Both laughed as he put his boots on and left. It was going to be a longer drive for the PI, going from the Santa Monica Mountains all the way to North Figueroa and as soon as he passed the gate at the end of the drive he hit both the lights and siren. When he reached the scene, it was obvious that the theater was going to be a total loss as well as several of the shops that adjoined it. Mark Weston was standing out in front directing the battle against the flames. When Matt reached his side he simply handed the PI a radio and patted him on the back. "It's bad. You take care of yourself in there."

"Yes sir." Matt ran to the door of the theater and could feel the heat hitting him before he reached the threshold. Several firefighters were visible trying to quell the flames in the lobby and he could hear even more on the radio who were inside the auditorium. Looking around the lobby, it was hard to make out where the concession stand was, and as Matt carefully made his way across the smoke-filled area, he could just make out the twisted wreck that a few short hours ago had dispensed popcorn and candy to movie patrons. It was much more damaged than the first theater. A quick look at the melted mess that had been the popcorn machine told him that it would be useless to him in this situation. Their arsonist had done a much more thorough job than the night before. Aside from filming the damage, there wasn't much that Matt could do there. He moved on into the first auditorium that looked like something out of hell: the majority of the seats from the front row all the way to three quarters of the way to the back wall were either melted or in flames and stretched across the entire width of the room; the curtains across the front as well as the screen were history. He shot some footage of the carnage and then moved on to the second auditorium that, although it was heavily involved, wasn't quite as far gone as the first.

Keeping the camera rolling, Houston moved into the center of the right hand section of seats. Operating under the assumption that their firebug had followed his route of the night before it wasn't long until the PI found the evidence he was looking for: the remains of a flare. Quickly bagging and tagging it, he stuffed it into his pocket and collected samples from the floor and the little bit of metal that remained of the seats. The majority of the firefighters in the auditorium were battling the flames on the left hand side of the aisle and Matt could clearly see once again that the fire in that area had been started near the center and got good coverage of it. It was impossible for him to try to collect any evidence there and he moved up to where the front of the theater had already been extinguished. Going behind the area where the curtain had been he found another flare and collected it. The back emergency exit door was standing slightly ajar and he moved over to that area, pulling a jar of dusting powder out of his pocket as well as a fingerprint brush. He quickly dusted the door and shone a light on it. Several fingerprints as well as some clear palm prints showed and he captured shots of it with the camera. Not only was it a video camera but it could take still shots as well, something that made it of particular interest to him and likely to other investigators. While there were other cameras out on the market that could do both video and stills, none could take the extreme temperatures that this model had been subjected to so far. He stepped out into the alley behind the theater noticing as he did that there were flames and ash coming from the roof and he radioed the information to Weston who began evacuating the firefighters inside.

Circling around the strip of shops, Houston paused at a dumpster when he spied a gallon container of what had held coconut oil. After first filming the scene, he carefully lifted the jug and continued around to the front of the shops and over to his truck where he pulled a larger evidence bag for the jug and sealed it up. He hadn't bothered to take the clipboard in with him, knowing that he wouldn't be able to fill out the forms while inside. As he took off his turn out coat, he spied Rich Holt as he parked nearby. The captain got out of his SUV and came over to Matt's truck. "How'd it go?"

"Kinda on the warm side." Matt pulled a bottle of sports drink out of the cooler. "Want something?"

"Sure." He took a bottle of water and both men twisted the tops off as they watched the firefighters continued to try to contain the blaze. "Did you get anything?"

"Yep." Matt pulled out the camera and his laptop, setting the computer on the backseat of the truck and hooking the two up.

"Where did you get that?"

"It's something that Derwin and I are working on. Video and…" He pulled up the still shots of the fingerprints on the emergency exit. "Still shots, too. And it doesn't mind the heat." He pulled up a photo program and began singling out prints and getting them ready to submit. "Got a couple of palm prints here that look like the most recent."

"Good work. What about flares?"

"Yep." He pulled out what he had collected. "And…" Lifting the bag that contained the coconut oil jug he smiled. "Found this next to a dumpster. It looked like he tossed it and missed."

Rich patted him on the back. "You're doing great." It was then that both heard a creaking noise and turned to look as what was left of the theater's roof caved in as did the roof of the bridal shop on its left. "I hope all of our folks were out of there." The pair listened to the radio as accounts for each unit were called in to the battalion chief. "Phew…all present and accounted for."

Matt turned back to the computer and logged into the Fire Department website, locating the building plans for the theater. He began working on the forms he needed to fill out, using the information on the plans to help him fill in measurements on his report forms. "Don't think it's going to be too easy to measure in there."

"No, you're going at the right way." Rich turned and looked back at the smoking hulk of concrete, brick, and glass. "You know, some of these businesses may not be able to recover from this."

"Yep. Lots of folks are just barely hanging on as it is. Even with insurance it's tough to start over."

By the time dawn broke over the city, Matt had filled out as much of his paperwork as he could before going back into the wreckage. Rich would be joining him as would their boss, Fire Marshal Don MacLemore who now pulled up to the scene. Coming over to his two newest employees he got the rundown from Houston and looked at what he had so far. "Rich, I'm glad you suggested him. You two are doing some fine work and I appreciate it." Matt put his turnout coat and helmet back on and walked with the other two to speak with Mark Weston.

"Look what the cat drug in." Weston and MacLemore shook hands. "We've got a mess here, Don."

"Yeah, we do. Houston brought me up to date on what we have so far on this one and the one from the night before. Now if we can just catch the SOB that's doing this…" The Fire Marshal put a hand on Matt's shoulder. "Lead us through here, Houston. Let's see if we can spot anything else."

All four men entered what was left of the theater which wasn't much. The front wall looked like an ancient fort after a siege. Every window had been broken, and the classic marquee out front was now a twisted, melted mass of metal lying on the sidewalk, the once brightly colored glass bulbs now blackened and crushed. Speaking at the same time MacLemore and Weston commented. "Damn."

They walked through, both Matt and Rich taking samples from the scene where it had been impossible earlier and Matt continued to film the damage. When the group had toured the theater, they went through the adjoining shops that had sustained damage. The bridal shop was a complete loss with both the front and back walls collapsing onto the sidewalk and the rear parking lot respectively. "All the fabric in here sure made for some damage." MacLemore shook his head and they moved on to the next shop that had been a florist. While the walls were still standing the roof had collapsed.

The other end of the strip had housed a dry cleaners that now looked like it had been bombed. Between the chemicals used for the process and all of the clothing that had been inside it had never stood a chance, even with the sprinkler systems that were present. All four of the businesses had sprinklers but they couldn't handle the massive flames that had torn through, part of them spreading from roof to roof.

When they emerged the group walked back up to Mark Weston's SUV. "So what do you think, Don?"

"I think we need to find this guy quick before someone gets killed." The Fire Marshal looked at Matt. "Do we have any idea why this guy is doing it?"

"No sir."

"What's your next step?"

"I've got video footage to go through from the first fire and I've got to try to get what the businesses around here have." He motioned in a circle around them. "We've got a suspect with an APB out on him…that's all I have so far."

"Well you're going to have some help today." MacLemore looked at Rich. "Why don't you handle the videos? I think Houston here might be a little more qualified to go after the suspect." Both men answered at the same time. "Yes sir."

"What I said earlier about your work – both of you – still applies. You two are doing a hell of a job."

"Thank you, sir." They answered in unison again and exchanged a look before cracking up.

"We're going to set up a press conference for 10:00AM. Go get you some breakfast and be at the office by then. After that – you know what to do."

Both men nodded and took off for their vehicles. Rich looked over at his friend. "See you at the lab."

Matt nodded as he unlocked the cab of the truck and removed his turn out gear, placing it back in the storage area under the back seat. He grabbed a bottle of water and cracked the top on it, downing about half of it out of habit before stopping himself. Climbing up into the truck he pulled out his phone and dialed CJ, letting her know that once again he was fine and what was going on. "Babe, run a check on Ashford's financials for me. See if you can find anything that would point us in his direction. We've got to get him."

"I'm on it, hon. Take care of yourself. Love you."

"Love you, Babe. 'Bye."


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

By 9:30, Matt and Rich had put together the presentation for the press conference and were showing it to both Weston and MacLemore. "That looks like it should do the trick." The Fire Marshal took a look through the small window on the door leading to the room where members of the press were already set up. "Oh boy – we've got some national news people out there." He looked again. "Oh hell…that damn Tamara Placer is here, too."

Matt rolled his eyes. "Just like a bad penny."

Michael Hoyt walked up to the group just then. "Got enough excitement this morning, PI?"

Houston looked up and grinned. "Yeah, more than enough." Taking a sip of coffee he looked at his friend again. "How's my girl Kathy doing?"

"She's fine. Broke up with Nick."

"Oh, boy. Well, that was the first one. What did you do?"

"Took her out for ice cream last night and we had a long talk. See what you get to look forward to?"

"I like ice cream just fine, no problem." Matt snickered.

A few minutes later, MacLemore gave the signal and the group walked out onto the platform as camera flashes temporarily blinded them. As the Fire Marshal began the briefing the room fell completely quiet and he delivered the presentation, asking for the public's help in locating Gregory Ashford who was wanted for questioning. At the end, he agreed to take a few questions, and managed to skillfully avoid Tamara Placer in the process. When they filed out of the briefing, Hoyt began to chuckle. "What?" Matt gave him a questioning glance.

"Tamara Placer was giving you the evil look from hell. Hope she doesn't have a voodoo doll."

Houston's phone rang. "Hey, Babe."

"Just wanted to let you know that I've run the check on Ashford's financials. He has an overdrawn checking account and several businesses after him. There are no credit cards, so unless he had a stash of cash on him…"

"Or he got paid by someone…" They both thought for a minute. "I haven't seen anything about a wife or a girlfriend, have you?"

"Not at all."

"Okay." He leaned against the wall. "Have you talked to Uncle Roy this morning?"

"I did right before I called you. He said he's going to be talking to the other employee's from the first theater and see if they've seen or heard anything suspicious."

"Good. I'll send him a list of the one's from this fire, too. Okay, well…I'm gonna hit the streets and see if I can find this guy anywhere."

"Watch yourself, Cowboy. Love you."

"Love you, Babe. 'Bye." He hung up and passed along what she had told him.

"We've just gotten a search warrant for the aunt's house." Hoyt held up a stack of papers.

"We, huh?"

"Yep, the chief has assigned me to this. Guess he figures you fire boys need all the help you can get." He let out with a grunt as Houston popped him on the back of the head. "Let's go, Gramps."

"Do NOT start that with me today, Houston. Lousy PI's…" He continued his usual grumble as the two friends went out and geared up, putting on their vests and checking their pistols before pulling out of the parking lot in the truck.

Matt made the trip back down to 159th Street in South Lawndale, calling Roy with the list of employees that had been provided to Mark Weston earlier that morning by the theater manager that had showed up on the scene. Michael handed his friend the warrant and circled around to the back. After giving the cop a chance to make it to the back door, the PI began knocking on the front but there was no answer. He knocked again with no result. "Miss Frazier? It's Matt Houston with the LA Fire Marshal's office. We've got a search warrant." There was no reply and he walked to the edge of the porch and looked around the corner of the house; the woman's car was in the driveway. After knocking once more, just in case she was in the shower, Matt pulled out his cell phone and called the number. As he stood looking around he heard it begin to ring, but the sound wasn't coming from the house. "Oh no…" He walked over to the car as it continued to ring. "Michael…" The cop stuck his head around the back of the house and then came to the car.

"I think she's in the trunk." The pair exchanged a look before Matt knelt down and removed the set of lock picks that was always in his left boot. In a matter of seconds the trunk was opened and there was Christine Frazier – semi-wrapped in an area rug, bound, gagged, and beaten to death, her skull split wide open and wounds covering her body.

Michael pulled out his phone and called for a crime scene tech and a patrol car to guard the perimeter while Matt called Don MacLemore and told him what they had found. "No sir, we haven't been inside yet…Yes sir." He hung up.

"Given the circumstances I think we would be wise to keep an eye on the house and car until our help gets here." Michael eased the lid on the trunk back down with the barrel of his pistol as Matt nodded. The cop went back to guard the back of the house while Matt stood out on the curb to keep watch on the front and both sides.

It wasn't long before not just one but two patrol cars showed up along with Detectives Jennings and Trenton. While the uniformed officers put up the familiar yellow crime scene tape, the four detectives made entry into the house, first clearing it and then searching it for clues to the whereabouts of Gregory Ashford. There was blood in the kitchen as well as a bloody hammer and it became clear that the area rug had come from the back bedroom of the house. Kneeling down, Matt shone his flashlight across the kitchen floor. "I think he took her out the back; there's a real faint track."

"Well that rug sure kept it from leaving an obvious blood trail. Although from the look of it, she lost the majority of it in here."

"Yep." The PI regained his feet and moved into the back bedroom that appeared to have been used by Ashford. Starting with the chest, he began methodically working through the layers of dust and dirty clothing that was strewn about the room. He found the checkbook to the account that CJ had checked earlier and a couple of bottles of Scotch, one nearly empty and the other about two-thirds full.

Hoyt was on the other side of the room checking the bedside table as Jennings went through the closet. "I've got a phone number." He pulled out his cell and called Luis Sanchez for a reverse lookup. "Alright, go ahead." After jotting down the information he got the clerk to run a check on the woman. "Nothing. Okay, thanks." He turned to Matt. "The number is for a Naomi Benson – who happens to live in Beverly Hills."

"Uh huh…well that sure doesn't go with this." Motioning around the PI shook his head. "I haven't found squat. Let's go out to the truck and run a check on her." The two friends walked through the kitchen as Bob Wisnewski and Cheryl Crawford came in through the front of the house.

"Wow, look Bob! It's the two celebrities!" She gave Matt a wink as Hoyt grumbled under his breath and rolled his eyes and the PI just gave her a big smile.

Outside Houston climbed up into the cab of the truck and opened up the laptop and began running a check on Naomi Benson. Yawning he turned the computer so that Michael could see it as well. "Not much there other than she likes to go to the clubs. Mom and Dad came from old money and Naomi has never worked a day in her life."

"So let's go see if we can find her." Hoyt called Jennings to let him know they were going to work on that angle as Houston started the truck and headed for Beverly Hills. On the way over, Matt was uncharacteristically quiet. "Something wrong?"

"No…yeah." He sighed. "I wonder if he killed Christine Frazier because I showed up there yesterday?"

"Even if he did it isn't your fault. You know that." He watched as Matt rubbed his eyes while stopped at a light. "Haven't gotten much sleep the last two nights have you?"

"No. I've been trying to study for my next test but there's so much going on…" He shook his head.

"How's the Chemistry class?"

"It's good – really interesting." He yawned again. "Damn I need some coffee." Pulling into a Burger Nerd drive thru he placed an order for two cups of coffee, parking in the lot for a minute to drink some of the hot liquid. When the cup was half gone he pulled back out on the street. "Okay, now on to Beverly Hills." Both were quiet until Matt uttered a curse and pulled out his phone calling Rich. "Hey, how did the fires get called in?"

"The first was by the security company after the fire alarms went off and the second…huh, the burglar alarm went off first and PD was called and then the fire alarms went right after that."

"So how did he get into the first without setting off the burglar alarm but didn't get into the second without triggering it?"

"Good question. The boss told me about the aunt…hang on…" Matt could hear him rustling in the background. "Tell Michael to stop at the nearest station. We've got an arrest warrant for Ashford for murder now – the prints on the hammer were his. That should get you into the house in Beverly Hills."

"Great, I was worried about that. Thanks." He hung up, passed the message along to Michael and pulled into the station on Culver Boulevard. The cop scurried inside and picked up a paper copy of the warrant. A short time later they pulled up to the house on Cold Water Canyon Drive and rang the bell. It was soon answered and Hoyt produced his badge and announced that they had a warrant for Gregory Ashford.

"There's no one here by that name, I'm sorry." The elderly lady began to shut the door.

"Ma'am, would it be possible for us to speak with Naomi Benson?" Matt spoke up.

"Let me see if she's available." She led them into the parlor. "Please wait here."

Both men looked around the room, not really expecting to see anything that related to Ashford but making the attempt nonetheless. A couple of minutes later a blonde woman of about 25 came to the door of the room looking as though she had just emerged from a drunken slumber. "Who wanted to see me?" She gave Matt an appraising look up and down and smiled.

Once again, Michael produced the badge. "We need to ask you some questions about Gregory Ashford." The words had a sobering effect on her.

"Why?"

"Do you know where he is?" Matt stepped forward.

"Again – why?" She didn't look as fond of him as she had previously.

"Because we have a warrant for his arrest – for the murder of his aunt. He's also wanted for questioning about a couple of fires that were set."

She waved her hand dismissively. "I don't know where he is."

"If you do, you would be wise to cooperate with us." Matt's voice lowered. The hair on the back of his neck was beginning to stand on end and he had a feeling that Ashford wasn't very far away at all.

"Is that a threat? Did you just come in here and threaten me?!"

"No ma'am – that was a piece of advice." Houston's eyes flashed with anger.

"You'd do well to heed it. If you're hiding him you could be up on accessory charges." Hoyt noticed Matt's reaction and knew that he most likely had one of his famous gut instincts.

"Get out. Don't come back either - unless you want to end up dead." She turned and started to leave.

"Hoyt, I believe _that_ was a threat."

"Congratulations Miss Benson…" Hoyt moved behind her and pulled her arms behind her back. "You're under arrest."

"What for?!"

"California Penal Code 422 also known as the Criminal Threats Law. You have the right to remain silent…" He began rattling off the Miranda Warning as Benson began sobbing and then screaming.

"You can't arrest me!"

"Just did." Matt called Luis Sanchez who arranged for a patrol car to ferry Benson to the station. "Have a seat." He took the woman to a couch and had her sit down, then turned to the housekeeper who was standing in the doorway in shock. "Ma'am – do you know if anyone else is in the house?"

"I…I don't think so. I don't know."

"The man we're looking for has set two fires and is suspected of beating his aunt to death. I really don't think you want him in here."

"No. But really – I don't know if anyone else is here. I've been downstairs all morning cleaning and…" Just then there was the sound of a car engine starting and tires squealing.

"I've got it." Houston ran out the door in time to see a Lexus SUV peeling out of the driveway headed south. He got in the truck and began following, pulling out his phone and calling Sanchez again to request backup as he hit the lights and siren. He caught up to the Lexus as it flew through the intersection of Cold Water Canyon and North Beverly, grateful that the light for the road he was on was green. He could hear the sound of an approaching siren and was relieved when he saw blue lights up ahead traveling north. The driver of the Lexus hung a left onto Lexington Road and Matt followed, then slowed slightly as the Lexus blew through the red light at North Rexford Drive. Once clear of that he picked up speed and was keeping the driver in sight when the Lexus nearly caused a collision with four other vehicles as he turned onto Sunset Boulevard. Houston once again slowed as he went through the intersection and then took off again making up a little bit of distance between himself and the vehicle he was chasing. He could still hear the sirens behind him and kept on the tail of the Lexus when he turned left onto Mountain Drive. Fortunately the other motorists on the road had seen what was going on and stopped, keeping a bad situation from being even worse for which the PI was grateful. The Lexus turned left onto Loma Vista Drive, an area which Matt knew because of Ramona Landers, the elderly movie star from whom he had bought the ranch. The next turn was a right onto Doheny Road and the flashing blue lights were now right behind Matt who couldn't believe his eyes when the Lexus rammed the gate at the home of Ramona Landers. He pulled in and blocked the driver's attempted exit as he squealed the tires around the fountain located in the driveway. Officers blocked the other side of the circle and rushed the Lexus as did Matt who was then promptly slammed against the hood of his truck with a pistol at his ear. "Easy fellas, I'm on your side. My ID is on my collar. Calm down." He was cuffed and his pistol removed from its holster before he was turned and the ID checked. Another siren was heard as yet another patrol car pulled in behind the others.

Michael Hoyt emerged from the patrol car, his badge held in the air. "He's with us, Sergeant."

The man who had cuffed Houston required an explanation and a thorough look at his Fire Department ID before he relaxed at all. "This is Beverly Hills jurisdiction, Mr. Houston – Lieutenant."

"I understand that but we're working on the Thorson Theater fires. Houston here is an advisor to both LAPD and the Fire Marshal's Office. Please release him."

After the cuffs were taken off and Matt's pistol returned to him he finally got a look at the driver of the Lexus – none other than Gregory Ashford. "Looks like we found our suspect." He looked up to see a bewildered Ramona Landers standing at the front door of the home as Hoyt and the sergeant began arguing over custody of the suspect. Straightening his vest and returning his pistol to the holster he walked over and removed the ball cap from his head. Giving her a smile he spoke. "Hi, Miss Ramona."

"Oh my goodness! What in the world…? Houston, I…well, it's good to see you again." She laughed as the tall private investigator leaned down and gave her a hug. "What on earth happened?"

Matt began explaining the fires, the murder, and the chase. "And here we are." He laughed. "Sorry if we scared you."

"I'm just glad you caught him. Who knows what he would have done?"

"Ms. Landers, is this man bothering you?" The grumpy sergeant made his way over after finally turning over custody of Ashford to Hoyt – but only after his captain had ordered it.

"Why no, he's a good friend of mine." She put her arm around Matt as Michael walked over looking slightly star-struck.

"Miss Ramona, I'd like you to meet a friend of mine – Lt. Michael Hoyt. From the look on his face I think he knows who you are." Matt grinned.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lieutenant." She shook the surprised looking cop's hand.

"Pleased to meet you. How do you two know each other?"

"Houston bought a ranch from me." She turned to Matt. "You do still have it don't you?"

"Yes ma'am…" He pulled out his phone and pulled up a picture of CJ and Catey. "…and it's slightly more populated now."

"They're absolutely beautiful! Now that's the young lady that was with you when you were here before, isn't she?"

"Yes ma'am."

"I'm so happy to see you settled down. And you're getting famous, too – I saw you on TV this morning."


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

"…So she lawyered up the minute she got here." Det. Lee Jennings finished telling Hoyt what had happened when Naomi Benson had been brought in earlier.

"And she's out on bail already?" He sat down in his chair behind the desk as Matt landed on the couch with a heavy sigh.

"Yes sir."

"Figures." He looked over at Houston who was sipping on a cup of coffee and opening his laptop. "Which interrogation room is Ashford in now?"

"Three."

"Okay, I'll…" He looked up as Sanchez opened the office door.

"Excuse me, sir. We've got a domestic dispute that turned into a murder-suicide."

"I'll get it." Lee took the paper from the clerk and headed out, tagging Gabby Giovanni to help him.

"Are you working on Benson?" Hoyt looked back over at his friend as Sanchez left and closed the door behind him.

"Yeah…" He continued to work the keyboard for a few minutes before closing the machine and giving a low curse. "How in the hell are the two of them hooked up?" Rubbing his eyes the PI propped his feet on the coffee table in front of him.

"Good question. That was her Lexus he was driving."

"Who's her lawyer?" Matt tilted his head back on the couch rubbing his temples.

"R. James Canton, Esquire." Looking at the file that Jennings had given him Michael said the name with a slight British accent causing the PI to chuckle.

He didn't open his eyes as the cop quietly opened the top right drawer on his desk and tried to sneak out the bottle of antacid, hoping his friend wouldn't notice. "Got any Tylenol in there?"

"Yeah." He tossed it across to Matt hoping to hit him in the chest but the cowboy caught it without opening his eyes. It was returned a moment later as Houston popped two of the pills into his mouth and chased them down with the last of the coffee and stood up, stretching his back and then popping it as he walked to look out the window.

"Alright…we've got Ashford; we've got his prints at the first fire, and…" His phone rang. "Yeah, Yoshi?" He looked at Michael and gave a thumbs up. "Uh huh…great….Yeah, I can get those now. We just brought him in a little bit ago…Uh huh. Me, too. Thanks, bud. 'Bye." Houston hung up. "I need to get Ashford's palm prints to see if they match up to the emergency exit at the second theater. Yoshi just confirmed his fingerprints were on the jug of coconut oil. He's part of it and doesn't have much room to wiggle." The last was said with a grin. "Ready to go chat with him?"

"About as ready as I'm ever gonna be. Let me get somebody to come up and get his palm prints." Hoyt made a quick call and then got up from the desk and followed Matt down the hall to the interrogation room where Gregory Ashford sat with a sulky look on his face. "Mr. Ashford, I want to remind you of your rights once again." He recited the Miranda Warning as he and Matt both had a seat. "So…would you like to tell us why you've burnt down two movie theaters?"

"Who says I have?" Ashford gave both men a cold stare.

"You do." Matt propped his boots up on the table as he usually did. "We've got your prints. Speaking of which…" There was a knock on the door and Hoyt opened it to a clerk from the ID section. Slipping on a pair of nitrile gloves the clerk approached their suspect who began resisting as the tech began getting a digital scan of his right palm. Houston sat up and hit the table with his right hand, scaring not only Gregory Ashford but the clerk. For once Hoyt had seen it coming and barely managed to stifle a chuckle. "Your choice – the hard way or the easy way – what's it gonna be, Ashford?" He sat back down as the clerk got the print and Matt told him where to send it. "Now, as I was saying we've got your prints. What we don't have is a reason why you did it. Care to share?"

"I don't have to say anything."

"That's fine. But you're going down for these two fires…and oh yeah, the murder of your aunt." The look he gave the suspect was one of pure hatred. "Why did you kill her anyway? The $800 and the silverware weren't enough?" Ashford looked slightly surprised for a minute but continued to keep quiet.

"What difference does it make, Houston?" Michael spoke up. "He'll be a dead man when the murder conviction comes down. The fires will just be icing on the cake. He's much too honorable to let anyone else take the blame for any of it."

"I want my lawyer."

"People in hell want ice water, too." Houston looked angrily at the man in front of him. "Who's your lawyer?"

"I don't know his name."

"Hard to recommend him I reckon."

"Look, what about my phone call?"

Houston reached in his pocket and pulled out his cell phone, placing it on the table in front of the man. "There ya go."

After a slight hesitation Ashford began dialing and looked agitated when the call wasn't answered and went to voice mail. He didn't leave a message but disconnected the call and sat back in his chair.

The PI reached out for the phone and looked at the last number dialed, comparing it to one in his notebook. "Would you looka there? I think she dumped him." He chuckled as did Hoyt. "So old Naomi isn't answering her phone; might be because she's talking to her lawyer." A shocked look flitted across Ashford's face momentarily. "You know, I bet he won't represent both of 'em at the same time. What do you think?" He looked at Hoyt.

"Nope, probably not…and of course she _IS_ the one with the money." The cop yawned and looked at his watch. "So what's it gonna be, Ashford? Do you want to talk - do you want a public defender - or what?"

"I'm not talking without my lawyer."

"Good luck with that." Matt got out of the chair and walked out.

Ashford watched as the door closed. "Who the hell is that guy?"

"The one who's about to put you away for a long time…" Michael got up and went to the door. "…or he may be the one who is gonna get a needle shoved in your arm." He quietly walked out, the door closing with a soft click and went back to his office where Houston was walking out with his laptop. "Going home?"

"Yeah. I've gotta get some sleep. With him in custody I think we can slow down a little bit. Rich has been watching videos all day from the surrounding businesses, but I haven't talked to him since this morning." He pushed the button for the elevator.

"Well, give Catey Rose a kiss for me…and tell CJ she's welcome."

"For?"

"Not having to bail you out." Hoyt laughed.

"Ya know it's been a while since I've been in cuffs…" Matt stepped onto the elevator and got a lopsided grin on his face. "…except for when CJ…" The doors closed and the last thing he saw was the look of shock on Michael's face. He chuckled as he pulled his keys out of his pocket and went to the truck.

Arriving at the ranch after fighting through the LA evening traffic, Houston came into the kitchen to find Catey eating her supper with the help of nanny Sheila Wentworth and Tilly, while CJ checked on a pan of lasagna in the oven. After giving his daughter a kiss on the top of her head, he walked over to put his arms around CJ and gave her a big hug. "Somebody sure had a busy day today." She gave him a kiss.

"Too busy."

"Mama sent more lasagna. It'll be ready in about five minutes."

"Okay." He headed into the den and looked at the couch just inside the door. He could stretch out for a few minutes, have supper, and then go work with Jasper for a little while before studying for his test. A few minutes later CJ called out to him but didn't get an answer. _Maybe he hit the shower. _Two steps into the den told her the story: there stretched out with his feet dangling over the end of the couch was her husband, face down and sound asleep. She gently removed his boots and covered him with an afghan before returning to the kitchen.

Around midnight Matt woke up in the same position that he had stretched out in. After maneuvering around and sitting up on the side of the couch, he rubbed his eyes, went and got a drink of water, and wandered back to the bedroom where CJ was curled up in their bed asleep. Considering his options, the PI quietly went and took a shower before coming back out and sliding into bed. CJ gave him a sleepy smile and a kiss before moving over and resting her head on his chest, just like always. He kissed the top of her head and drifted off.

The next morning Matt walked into the kitchen and found a stack of pancakes waiting on him along with a steaming hot cup of coffee. After kissing CJ on the cheek, he sat down and began talking with Catey over breakfast.

"Daddy?"

"Hmm?"

"Go ride Cricket."

"We can't ride right now. How about tonight?"

The little girl gave him a disappointed look and sighed, reminding him of CJ so much he broke into laughter. "I swear, Babe – she looks just like you when she does that." He continued to chuckle.

"Daddy?"

"Hmm?"

"Go ride Jasper?"

"No, I don't think Jasper is ready for you just yet. Maybe in a few weeks." Once again she gave him the look and sigh sending him into another round of laughter along with Sheila and CJ. "Tell you what; if I can get a chance to work with Jasper tonight we MIGHT be able to go for a ride on him. But I can't promise you, okay?" He got up and rinsed his plate, putting it into the dishwasher before picking up the laptop. After kissing CJ he leaned over and gave Catey Rose a buzz on the cheek. "Love you bunches, you know that?"

"Yep. Love my daddy." She gave him a kiss on the nose and then shook her finger at him. "Be good."

"Yes ma'am." He headed out the door. "You ladies try to stay out of trouble today, too. Love you, Babe."

"Love you, Cowboy." CJ watched as he put on the holster before getting into his truck. She looked at Sheila. "You know, Catey talks a lot for her age. I believe it's because of Matt. He's talked to her practically non-stop since she was born, just like she understood every word."

"She's smart, that's for sure. But you talk to her, too. It isn't just him." She watched as the baby teased Tilly with a piece of pancake before feeding it to the half Blue Heeler half Husky.

On the way to the lab, Matt's phone rang. "Hey Michael."

"You aren't in cuffs are you?" The cop snickered.

"Not at the moment. What's going on?"

"Gregory Ashford has agreed to a public defender. I set up an interview for 9:00. Will that work for you?"

"Sure. I'm on my way to the lab to see what else we've got. I'll bring it along with me and maybe we can convince him to spill the beans. I'm still trying to figure out how in the heck he got hooked up with Naomi Benson."

"That makes two of us. See you later."

Matt swiped his ID on the way inside the building where the lab for the Fire Department was housed and went to find Yoshi Masaru, the tech that he usually worked with. "Mornin'."

"Not too bad of one, actually." The young tech grinned and straightened his glasses. "I guess you're looking for some more answers, huh?"

"It would sure be useful."

"In that case…" He waved the investigator over to one of the work terminals. "Alright, your palm prints from Gregory Ashford matched the ones at the second theater. All of the prints on the flare cartridges were his as well."

"Okay, maybe we can get this one wrapped up today. Thanks a lot."

"No problem."

Matt whistled as he walked down the hallway and got to Rich's office. "Knock, knock."

"Who's there?"

"You must be getting old like Michael. You've already forgotten who I am." Matt snickered as he sat down.

"Save the old jokes for the cop, Rookie." He pointed to the computer. "We've got a couple of video shots of Ashford from the stores across the street from the second theater. He was driving Naomi Benson's Lexus, by the way."

"I still haven't figured out how the two of them got hooked up." Matt watched the footage and handed his friend a flash drive. "Can you put that on there for me? Michael and I have an interview set up for him at 9:00 – along with his public defender."

"Umph…think he'll talk?"

"He'd be stupid not to let someone else take part of the heat – but then he's not exactly a rocket scientist, is he?"

"Nope." Rich handed back the flash drive. "So how did the photo shoot go?" He got a big grin on his face as he saw the uncomfortable look on the younger man's face.

"It went. Thank God CJ went with me." He looked at his watch. "Guess I better get moving on over to the station. I'll holler at you if we get anything else." Standing to leave his phone rang. "Hey Uncle Roy…" He paused. "Hang on a second. I'm gonna put you on speaker so Rich can hear this, too." He punched the button. "Okay."

"I spoke to the employees from both theaters. One remembered seeing Ashford there the day of the fire at the first one. An usher had to make him leave the balcony area – it's only used at night and on the weekends. The other was a young lady who worked the ticket booth at the second theater. She remembered him because when she asked him which movie he wanted he told her it didn't matter – just give him a ticket."

"So he was scouting them out, huh?" Rich nodded.

"So it would seem. That's all I've got."

"Well, that's something else we can add to the file. Thanks, Uncle Roy. I'll call you back in a minute. I've got another job for you if you're feeling up to it." After being reassured that his uncle was interested, Matt hung up and headed out the door, whistling once again as he went out to the parking lot and slid behind the wheel. He punched Roy's number on his cell phone and it was answered almost immediately. "Hey. How about you use your expertise to dig a little deeper into Todd Conley – the owner of the theaters? The fact that both theaters belonged to him could mean that Ashford has a personal dispute with him or that Conley is possibly involved somehow."

"I'm on it. I'll call you when I have something." The elder Houston went across the office and pulled up BABY to see what else she could give him on the owner.

When he got to the station, Matt took the stairs up to the fourth floor and hit the coffee pot outside of Michael's office. As he took a sip, Gregory Ashford was escorted from the elevator by an officer and a woman who appeared to be his lawyer. Hoyt came out of his office, refilled his own cup, and watched as Lee Jennings directed the trio down to one of the interrogation rooms. Matt filled his friend in on what they had gotten from the lab.

"I'd say we've got a good case on him – but I sure would feel better about it if we had a good motive." The two men walked down the hallway to room number five and entered. Once again, the lieutenant reminded the suspect of his rights and then motioned to Matt.

"So have you decided to cooperate?" Houston took a long sip of coffee as he looked across at the man who appeared to have slept very little the night before.

"Yeah." Ashford started to speak again but was silenced by the young public defender.

"Mr. Ashford will be happy to cooperate with you as long as certain conditions are met." The attorney opened a folder. "He agrees to help you with the fire investigation as long as the murder charge is dropped."

"You've GOT to be kidding me." Hoyt looked incredulously at the young woman.

"No, Lieutenant. We're quite serious." She looked surprised as Matt got up and stepped out of the room without a word. He went across the hall to an unoccupied room and called Rich, informing him of what was going on.

"They can't be serious."

"She says they are." Matt sighed. "Look, this guy needs to be put away as long as possible. The murder charge will get him at least 25 years or more – assuming that the DA goes with first degree charges. He beat her to death with a hammer and split her skull in two – that would qualify. The arson charges would only be maybe 10-12 years depending."

"I think we need to talk to the DA's office before it goes any further, but obviously we want this guy put away as long as possible." He was quiet for a minute. "If we could get Naomi Benson to talk…we might be able to get him on both."

"That was my thinking. I'll call you back." Matt hung up and stuck his head back into the room where the three sat silently staring at each other. "Michael – can I see you for a minute?"

The cop stood up and followed his friend back into the other room, listening as Houston told him about the phone call. "Yeah, we have to handle it that way. No way is he getting to duck the murder charge." Nodding he went back into the interrogation room ending the interview and informing the lawyer that the DA would be contacting her.

As the two friends went back to Michael's office and had a seat, they watched as the officer escorted Ashford and the lawyer to the elevator, the suspect showing obvious agitation as he began shouting and cursing at the lawyer. Both detectives got to their feet and went back out to the lobby as the officer and Ashford's attorney tried to calm him. It appeared to be working and everyone headed back to what they had been doing when a shot suddenly rang out.

Houston and Hoyt spun around in time to see Ashford now aiming the officer's pistol at his attorney and pulling the trigger. Immediately the two friends drew their weapons and fired, dropping the man to the floor in an instant.


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

"He did what?!" Rich couldn't believe what Houston had called to tell him.

"Yep, the lawyer's dead and both Ashford and Officer Strickland are on the way to Memorial in critical condition." Matt was in the process of taking another Glock out of his truck and putting it in his holster since the one he had been carrying was now being sent to the lab as part of the investigation into the shooting that had just occurred.

"Nobody else got hurt?"

"Nope." He sighed. "I can't believe he did that."

"Neither can I…holy cow…well…I don't know what to say."

"When Michael and I get done here with the paperwork and what not we're going to try to talk to Naomi Benson again. Maybe this will shake her up enough to get her talking…or she could just completely shut down. We figured it was worth a try."

"Nothing to lose at this point. Glad you two are okay."

"Yep – me, too. Talk to ya later." He ejected the magazine from the pistol and checked it before popping it back in and putting it in the holster.

As he boarded the elevator he thought back to the phone call that he had shared with CJ a few minutes earlier. She had commented on how he rarely used to carry a gun but nowadays he had one on him most of the time, be it in his holster or stuck in the waistband of his jeans. "I'm glad you had it on you, hon. I hate to think that it's come to you having to wear one constantly, but…" CJ had stopped right there.

"Yeah." Both were quiet for a minute. "Gotta go take care of the report. Love you, Babe."

"Love you, Cowboy. Be safe."

"Yes ma'am. 'Bye."

Stepping off of the elevator, he walked over to the coffee pot and filled up a cup before heading into Michael's office to make out the report. The lieutenant was hanging up the phone and gestured toward it. "Anne says it's already on TV." He blew out a breath. "What in the hell was he thinking?"

"Don't know."

"Here…" The lieutenant stood up and pointed at his chair. "I've already finished my report."

"Thanks, bud." Houston sat down and began filling out the form on the computer as Hoyt walked over and looked out onto the street below, where vans from all of the TV stations had gathered once more. As his friend began working the keyboard, the cop stole a glance at the man that was like the brother he had never had. Since they had met a few years ago both men had changed, but Matt had changed tremendously. Not only was he now a husband and father, but also a sworn deputy for the Harris County, Texas Sheriff's Department and was also working toward becoming a full-fledged fire investigator. The same sense of humor was still there but the man had a more serious air to him these days.

Looking back out at the reporters Michael thought about how many times Houston had helped him out over the years and an idea that had been lurking in the back of his mind for a while now became solidified: whenever Houston decided to quit the business, Hoyt would, too. After being a cop for over sixteen years he had seen more death, deceit, and destructive behavior than he could have ever imagined when he had proudly raised his hand and taken the oath to protect and serve the city of Los Angeles, and he would be damned if he was going to continue to do it without Matt. He turned back around as he heard the PI hit the enter key and stand up.

"What more can I say? He freaked out, took Strickland's gun and shot him and then the lawyer. So we shot him." Shrugging his shoulders he picked up the cup of coffee and downed the rest of it. "It never ceases to amaze me just how crazy people can be."

"Ready to try to rattle Naomi Benson?" Michael reached for his jacket.

"About as ready as I'm going to be." The pair went out to the elevator and down to the parking garage, Matt removing his vest from the truck and putting it on before getting into his friend's car. Hoyt already had his on and the car started when the PI slid in and closed the car door.

The two pulled up to the house on Cold Water Canyon Drive for the second time in twenty four hours. "Reckon they'll even answer the door?" He gave the cop a lopsided grin.

"Maybe…" He got out of the car and they started up the walk. "…maybe not."

Houston rang the bell and it was only a matter of seconds before the door was opened by the housekeeper who looked leery of the two after what had transpired the day before. "Ma'am…" He touched the brim of his cap. "We'd like to speak to Miss Benson, please."

"I'll see if she's available." This time the door was closed and both men snickered at the same time.

"If she isn't available I guess the DA can deal with it, huh?" Matt turned and looked around. Everything seemed just as it had the day before with the exception of one thing: Naomi's Lexus wasn't there.

"Uh huh." Michael was looking around as well and when the front door was opened again, both men were somewhat surprised to see Naomi Benson.

"What?" She leaned against the doorframe.

"We thought you might want to know that your boyfriend is in the hospital." The PI adjusted the cap on his head.

"Yeah, I heard. And he's not my boyfriend."

"Told ya she broke up with him." Matt looked at Michael and winked. "So since he's no longer your boyfriend I guess you wouldn't mind talking to us about him."

"I have nothing to say."

"Oh, that's too bad. See we talked to Greg before he flipped out this morning and he had some interesting things to say about you." Houston figured he didn't have much to lose with the bluff. From the expression on Naomi's face he thought it had been the right card to play.

"What did he say?"

"Why don't we go down to the station and talk about it? You can even invite your lawyer if you want."

There was a moment of silence as Benson weighed her options. Finally, putting a somewhat smug look on her face she agreed, pulling her cellphone out of her back pocket and placing a call to the attorney who apparently approved of the meeting. She went out to the car and left with them, smiling as Michael closed the door for her.

No one spoke during the ride and Matt's phone buzzed as he received a text from Tomás Sergio, a teen that he had helped get off the streets while working a case involving a string of gang murders. He and CJ now had temporary custody of him and were putting the boy through a private school near San Francisco. He read the message: _Finished with my midterms!_

Grinning, he texted the boy back. _Cool. And?_ A few seconds later the phone buzzed again.

_I'm all packed! Miss Ross will be taking me to the airport in the morning. _

He smiled again and Hoyt glanced over, wondering who he was talking to. _CJ will probably be the one to pick you up. Not sure – I'm working a big case right now._

The phone buzzed again a few seconds later. _Sorry – didn't mean to bug you._

Matt typed a reply. _You're not. I'm riding back to the station with Hoyt._

The phone buzzed once again. _Say hi for me. Gotta go – got a lunch date with Maricela. See you tomorrow!_

Chuckling he replied. _I want to hear about her when you get here…See ya!_ He returned the phone to his shirt pocket and looked over at Michael. "Tomás says hello. He's flying in tomorrow."

"Great. How's he doing?" Michael listened as Matt told him how well the boy was doing making up for the years of school that he had missed while homeless. "He's smart, Houston. And he's lucky that you found him."

"_We're_ lucky that I found him." They had sent the fifteen year old to San Francisco for his own safety; Los Diablos, the gang that had been responsible for the string of murders had been nearly eradicated in a turf war with another gang only a couple of weeks after Matt had found the boy. He had ears on the street in the form of the former leader of another gang, Lorenzo Adolfo. Both of the Houston's had been looking forward to the teen's spring break when they planned to have a serious talk with him about his future.

Back at the station they were met in the lobby by Benson's lawyer, a smug little man who was barely five feet tall. The lobby on the fourth floor had been cleaned by the time they arrived and the four entered Hoyt's office to talk. The lieutenant offered both coffee which was refused and Houston went out to get a cup for both himself and Michael. When he came back in and handed the cup to his friend he turned the chair that sat in front of the lieutenant's desk to face the lawyer and his client.

Canton spoke up. "My client informs me that you spoke with Gregory Ashford before the unfortunate incident this morning."

"We did." Michael took a sip of the coffee. "Miss Benson, do you understand the charges that Mr. Ashford is facing?"

"I do – but I don't have the foggiest idea what it has to do with me." She flipped back her long blonde hair.

"Mr. Houston has evidence of Ashford using your vehicle when he was casing the theaters that he set fire to, and as you are aware he used the same Lexus yesterday when he tried to evade us when we were attempting to serve him with an arrest warrant."

"My client doesn't deny that Mr. Ashford borrowed her car on occasions." Canton had a nasally voice that Matt already found grating on his nerves. He could only imagine how bad it must be for opposing counsel in a court case.

"Mr. Ashford used the vehicle when he committed arson, Mr. Canton." Houston looked directly at the lawyer.

"Ms. Benson isn't responsible for Mr. Ashford's supposed proclivity for arson."

"You have to admit that it looks bad for her, though, don't you?" Matt turned on the charm and Hoyt had a feeling that he knew where it was leading. "What we really wondered is how a fine, upstanding member of the community such as Ms. Benson got involved with Mr. Ashford. Obviously he doesn't run in the same circles."

"That's none of your business." Naomi's eyes narrowed and her lawyer shushed her with a wave of his hand.

"She's absolutely correct. Her associations and friendships are no one's business but her own."

"Still, it must be embarrassing for your parents." Matt gave the woman an intense stare and knew that he had struck a nerve.

"Again, that isn't relevant to the case against Mr. Ashford."

"Maybe…" Matt stood up and walked to the window. "But maybe it is." He turned back to face the pair on the couch. "I grew up in a privileged atmosphere, Mr. Canton. Perhaps you're aware?"

"I have researched your history, Mr. Houston."

"Naomi and I have something in common: our family's approval is extremely valuable to us. After all, if Mr. or Mrs. Benson is offended enough by the disgrace that her indiscretions bring to the family they might well strip her of her inheritance." Although he had been speaking to the attorney, Houston's steely gaze had been locked in on Naomi and from the slight jerk of her head he felt sure that she had already been threatened. "Naturally, we wouldn't want that to happen. But if Ms. Benson were to help us in clearing up this whole mess it would probably go a long ways toward her redemption in the eyes of the public – as well as her family." He reached over on Michael's desk and picked up two newspapers. "Both of these papers are running the story on the front page. We all know it doesn't look good for your client, Mr. Canton. Continued coverage could be detrimental to her future. I think we can all agree that the sooner this business is disposed of the better it will be for your client."

"Obviously…" The lawyer got quiet for a moment and Hoyt was impressed. Houston wasn't known for being overly fancy in his speech habits. _Maybe CJ has rubbed off on him._ It was hard for him to quell the smile that wanted to surface. "I believe we'll need some time to discuss this situation. Perhaps we could schedule a meeting for tomorrow?"

"I think that's a fine idea." Michael nodded as he stood up and handed one of his cards to Canton. "We really do appreciate your help in the matter."

"Certainly. Good day to you, gentlemen." Canton walked out followed by a somewhat-subdued Naomi Benson and went straight to the elevator.

When they were gone the two detectives looked at each other and Hoyt gave his friend a high five. "Most impressive, Mr. Houston. Have you been taking lawyer lessons from your wife?"

"I can neither confirm nor deny." Matt sat down on the couch. "What I would really like to do is find some dirt on Benson…I've got a feeling that she's played a bigger role in this whole deal than it seems." Looking at his watch he stood up and stretched. "I'm going to the office. Maybe I can come up with something."

"Talk to you later." Michael watched as the PI headed for the stairs.

Houston stopped by Ricardo's on the way to the office and picked up an assortment of burritos, tacos, and nachos. When he stepped off of the elevator he met Chris as she was headed to lunch. "Got a date with Murray?" He gave her a smile, knowing that she was just as fond of the food from the Mexican restaurant as he was.

"No, as a matter of fact he's headed to New York."

"Wanna join me? I made sure to get extra…plus the salsa that you like." He jiggled the bag in front of her.

"What do you want to drink?" The secretary tossed her purse back into the desk and headed into the main part of the office.

"Whatever you want to pour." He stepped up into the office to find Uncle Roy working the keyboard on BABY. "Hungry?"

"I sure am." The older man closed the computer and headed up to the poker table where his nephew began pulling items out of the bag.

"Fizzy Pops all around?" Chris held up three bottles and both men agreed as they sat down.

"So Chris…" Matt swallowed a mouthful of taco. "How do you think Murray will do in the delivery room?"

She got a serious look on her face. "To tell you the truth I'm a little worried about that." She explained how the two had been attending birthing classes and Murray's near-fainting reaction to the videos that had been shown. "I don't know what to do. Maybe if you talked to him about it…since you delivered Catey Rose…" She shrugged.

"I can try." Matt nodded.

"You know, they didn't used to let the fathers into the delivery room back in the old days." Roy spoke up as he added salsa to his nachos. "I think in some cases that might have been a good idea."

"I told him he doesn't have to be there…although I would really prefer he was." Chris unwrapped a taco. "He's really worried about it."

"Well it's not like he has to be down there to catch her – that's what the doc is for. He could just stay up there and coach you."

"I pointed that out, but you know how he is: what if this happens, what if that happens…" She shook her head.

"He's worried you'll go into labor and he'll have to deliver." Roy said what Matt had been thinking.

"He is." After taking a bite of taco, Chris smiled. "Too bad he's never been around when you're delivering a calf or foal."

"You know Cricket is due to foal in August…" Matt thought.

"So am I." The secretary laughed as did the two Houston men.

"Maybe she'll foal before you do…I mean…"Houston got tickled.

"I get what you mean. Maybe he could be there for it?"

"It isn't exactly the same but it sure is good practice for a human baby." Matt chewed thoughtfully. "When you talk to him later ask about it."

"I would really appreciate it." She laughed again. "CJ told me that when she went into labor you were nervous at first…"

Matt smiled as he took a drink. "I was. But she was scared and upset and…well, I just wanted to make it better for her, you know? And the more I thought about it, it didn't seem like that big of a deal after all the horses and cows. Plus it _was_ my responsibility." He thought back to the day that Catey had been born. "It doesn't really seem possible that it was a year ago."

Roy patted him on the shoulder. "That's when you know you're all grown up, Mattlock – the time flies."

"I believe you're right."

"Of course I am." Roy winked at the secretary.

After lunch, the two Houston men settled back down in front of BABY again and discussed the case. "Did you find out anything else about Todd Conley?"

"After a phone call to my beautiful niece and a little coaching, I believe we might be on to something…possibly."

"Aha…and?"

"Conley has talked to a couple of nationwide theater chains about buying him out, but they turned him down. They said that his theaters were not up to date and that bringing them up to their standards wouldn't be profitable for them."

"Uh huh…so maybe he did want to burn them down. But he's got seven of them…surely to goodness if he thought it through he had to have known it would come back to him."

"One would think so. But here's another little tidbit I found out from reading _Variety's_ website. It seems he's been considering starting his own video rental business – a la FlixFix."

"And he would need some start-up capital." Matt nodded.

"Which brings me to what CJ helped me with – his financials." Roy punched a few keys on the computer and Matt began reading.

"Ohhhh boy…Uncle Roy, I believe you just blew this whole thing wide open. After seeing this you gotta wonder how he can afford to rent that office up in the Golden Triangle."

"He can't…his brother-in-law is the bank president."

"And good old brother-in-law is letting him stay rent free?" He looked at his uncle who nodded. The younger man let out a low whistle and sat back on the couch in thought for a few minutes before standing up and walking over to the windows to the patio that looked out over the Los Angeles skyline. He began pacing back and forth, a sure sign to anyone who knew him that he was working through the case. "Okay our boy Conley is in money troubles and wants to ditch the theater chain that Grandpa left him. Ashford has pretty well destroyed two of those by burning them down…" Stopping he looked at Roy. "Once again we have the question of why Ashford is dealing with someone from Beverly Hills. The only logical conclusion that I can see is that he was hired…but who hired him?" He scratched his moustache with the back of his thumb and paced a little more before stopping and looking at his uncle again. "Do you have anything linking Todd Conley and Naomi Benson?"

"No, but that would seem to be the logical answer, wouldn't it?"

"Uh huh…" Matt resumed his pacing, stopping once again as his phone rang. "Yeah, Michael?"

"Thought you would want to know – the hospital called: Strickland will be okay. Ashford not so much."

"Oh?"

"He's paralyzed." Hoyt was sitting in his office with his feet propped up.

"Oh boy." Part of Matt felt bad about it, but Ashford had brought the whole thing on himself. "Do you know which one…?"

He didn't have to finish the question. "Both of us. Between the two bullets his spinal cord was severed. Our shots entered within centimeters of each other…what one started the other finished." Hoyt himself felt a little bit bad about it. Matt sat down and Roy saw the look on his face. The cop knew what his friend was thinking. "You know if we had shot him dead neither of us would be feeling guilty."

"You, too, huh?"

"Kind of, but he did kill one person and injure another. He started the ball rolling."

"Yeah. Well, Uncle Roy may have given us a big break." The cowboy explained what had been found. "I feel stupid right now. If I had dug deeper when I was checking into Conley after the first fire…"

"No – there really wasn't any reason to suspect him so much at that point, was there? But now that there have been two fires it would naturally cause suspicion. Don't be so hard on yourself."

"I'm just glad Uncle Roy was here." He gave his uncle a smile. "Anyway, it looks like there was some connection between Conley, Benson, and Ashford. We just need to figure out how they were associated."

"Have you told Rich?"

"Not yet. I just found out before you called."

"Okay, well…" The cop got quiet for a minute. "You know something? This could get Ashford to talk maybe. Right now he's the only one going down for any of this whole thing."

"…And if the other two are involved he would get a little bit of revenge. I get you. Wonder when he'll be able to talk?"

"Don't know. We'll have to see what happens. Hang on…gotta go – got a body in the river bed. It just never stops. Talk to you later."

"'Bye." Matt hung up and told Roy about Ashford's wounds and Hoyt's thoughts.

"Michael may be right. Ashford may be just what we need to blow this thing wide open."


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8**

Gregory Ashford had been awake for a while but had kept his eyes closed. As someone who had been shot before he knew that part of the pain that he was feeling was normal. He knew that he had been shot in his right side and as he tried to take stock of his situation the realization that he couldn't feel anything from his waist down scared the hell out of him. He heard someone enter the room in the ICU but didn't open his eyes. If they thought he was still unconscious he might be able to slip out and get away…but the fact that no matter how hard he tried he couldn't move his toes was definitely going to slow him down. _Maybe it's got something to do with what they knocked me out with for surgery._ Trying to remain calm, he began planning out his escape but noticed that whoever had entered the room hadn't left. Carefully he tried to open one eye and take a peek.

"Told ya he was playin' possum."

Closing the eye again he continued to try to fake unconsciousness. He knew the voice. _It's that Houston dude._ What in the hell was he doing there?

"Ya know Ashford…" The voice got closer. "You're not a very good actor at all. Is that why you set fire to the theaters? Or did you do it for Naomi?"

There was another voice then - the cop. "Now Houston, he _might _be out…but his breathing sure picked up when you talked to him." The sarcasm was clear in the lieutenant's voice. "You know they say people in comas can hear you."

"Uh huh." The sound of furniture moving closer to the bed, dragging across the floor and giving a metallic screeching sound that grated on the nerves was tormenting to Ashford. "Guess I'll just have a seat here and keep him company. Maybe talk to him a little bit…maybe tell him about Naomi..." Matt winked at Hoyt as the man's breathing increased again. "Do you reckon she officially broke up with him? 'Cause when he was in interrogation he just didn't seem to believe it, ya know?"

"What do they say – "love is blind"?" Hoyt moved over to the other side of the bed and drug over the stool that the nurses used when working at the computer terminal in the room. "He must sure be in love to be as blind as he is."

"Or he could just be stupid. I mean it's not like he's the first guy to ever get used by a woman…certainly won't be the last that Naomi uses…seeing as how she's going to be getting off scot-free – dumb bastard. Ya know, even if he does live – prison is gonna be mighty interesting for a guy in a wheelchair." Matt saw the man swallow hard and looked at Hoyt who nodded.

"And with the prison realignment deal that's going on, God only knows where he would end up. But I guess death row is death row, right?"

"I'd say for someone in his condition being anywhere inside a prison is death row." Houston stared at Ashford's face as his breathing increased yet again. "With two murder cases – possibly three – it's a given he's gonna end up there."

"True. You know, nobody really cares. Naomi sure doesn't. She's still got Mama and Daddy's money and her freedom. The only one to get screwed is Ashford." He watched as the man's eyes jerked open.

"Would you looka there? And they say miracles never happen…" Matt leaned forward. "Did we help pull you back from the great beyond, Ashford? See any lights or angels…or the devil by chance?" He gave an evil smile as the arsonist turned his head toward him, a murderous look in his eyes. "How ya feelin'?" There was no reply, just the look. "I'll try to help you out…let's see: used, stupid, screwed over…help me out here, Michael."

"Let's see…no, I think you about covered it. I can't imagine him feeling anything else…especially from the waist down." Michael also got an evil look from Ashford as his head snapped around. "That's good…you can move your neck."

"He can't move his hands, though." Houston chuckled as the man jerked his arms in an attempt to move them, but found that he was in restraints. "You didn't really think they'd let a murderer be able to move his only means of escape didja?" The head snapped back over to Matt.

"Go to hell."

"I might…but I'm sure you'll be there to hold the door for me if I do, won't you?"

"I don't have to say anything to you – either one of you. Get out." He closed his eyes again, trying in vain to move his legs.

"Gonna make us?" Hoyt leaned in closer.

"You son of a bitch!" Ashford tried to move his arms against the restraints.

"Careful now: you act all perky and they'll go ahead and ship you to the jail." The PI chuckled as he saw the look of fear on Ashford's face. "Now…" His voice dropped down to just above a whisper and got the gravelly tone to it, the smile left his face, leaving his eyes looking like two black orbs. "…if you've got any sense at all you'll tell us about Naomi's part in all this." There wasn't a response. "If you don't speak up this whole thing is going on you: the fires for starters and then you've got the charge for murdering your aunt, you shot and killed your lawyer, you shot a cop…" He paused momentarily as tears started flowing from the man in the bed. "So you think I should feel sorry for you?" Ashford continued to cry. "Would you still want me to feel sorry for you if someone had died in one of those fires? Or if you had t-boned a car when you ran from us?" There was still no reply. "I don't feel sorry for you…and I won't. What happened was a direct result from your actions. Deal with it."

"She set it up." Gregory Ashford let out with a sob.

"And?" Michael sat back on the stool.

"Conley wanted to burn down the first theater and she told him she knew someone who would do it. I needed the money. So he paid me."

"Okay, what about the second one?"

"Naomi said that since we could get him in trouble for hiring me to do the first one we could blackmail him…threaten to do another, and another, until he paid. Then you would be looking at him." Ashford shuddered as he looked at Matt.

"And he didn't want to pay up?" Houston watched as the man nodded. "So you burnt the second to show him you two were serious?"

"He thought it was just me. Naomi didn't tell him it was her idea."

"How do they know each other?" Matt exchanged a look with Michael.

"They were having an affair - met at some country club." He shuddered again as he tried to bring himself under control.

"How did you and Naomi meet?"

"She was a customer…ecstasy." He closed his eyes again. "God, I screwed up. The bitch."

"Anything else?"

"No."

"I'll get a statement over here for you to sign…" He stood up, once again dragging the chair and making the irritating noise. "…and you better not change your mind and not sign it."

Leaving the room quietly, the two friends boarded the deserted elevator, Hoyt pushing the button for the lobby and patting Matt on the shoulder. "You did good."

"I can remember a time that it would have mortally wounded you to say that." Houston cut his eyes over at the cop, the familiar twinkle in them.

"Lousy PI's…" Hoyt mumbled and then popped him on the back of the head.

Three hours later as Matt sat on the couch in Hoyt's office watching a Chemistry lecture for his class, the lieutenant came through the door. "Ready to go pick 'em up?"

"Yup." The PI took note of where he was in the video and closed the laptop, putting it in the case and getting off of the couch. "Need to stop by the truck first."

"Okay, I'll wait for you." They took the stairs down and Matt popped the computer into his truck and removed the bulletproof vest, putting it on before sliding into the car. "Let's get Naomi first. Conley doesn't suspect a thing." Houston nodded. "This should be fun. I'm going to stop by the Beverly Hills Police Department and let them know that we're visiting again. The captain says we should play nice."

"Alright." They were quiet and the PI's phone buzzed. He had a text from CJ: _Just picked up Tomás_! He smiled and texted her back, telling her where they were headed, ending the message with _Love you, Babe._ The reply was nearly instant. _Love you, be CAREFUL!_ Chuckling, he replied again. _Yes ma'am._

"I can tell by the look on your face that's CJ." Hoyt snickered. "You two aren't sexting are you?"

"Not right now – she just picked up Tomás at the airport. But maybe we can later." The matter-of-fact reply had the intended result: Hoyt rolled his eyes and began muttering. "What would you do without me around to liven up things for you?" Houston laughed.

"Retire." _And that's the truth._

Pulling into the driveway at the house on Cold Water Canyon, a Beverly Hills patrol car accompanying them, the two rolled out of the car and headed for the front door. Hoyt rang the bell and once again the door was answered by the housekeeper. Matt touched the brim of his cap. "Ma'am, we're here for Naomi." He held up the warrant. Resignedly, the older woman stepped back and held the door open for them. "Thank you, ma'am. Where is she?"

"Upstairs – third door on the right."

Nodding, Matt led the way in and up the stairs, his hand drifting down to release the strap on his holster and his hand resting on the butt of the Glock on his hip. Knocking on the door, he waited a minute with no response.

"We go in." Hoyt motioned to the officers to move to either side of the doorway.

Standing on the right side of the door, Matt used his left hand to turn the knob; it was locked. Taking a couple of steps back he kicked in the door and entered along with the other three officers, surprising not only Naomi, but the guest in her bed – none other than a naked Todd Conley who was struggling, trying to get free from the handcuffs that he and Naomi had obviously been using. "Would ya looka there, fellas? Two birds with one stone – and they already supplied one pair of handcuffs. Naomi Benson, Todd Conley – you're under arrest for arson – for a start." The expression of surprise and embarrassment on Conley's face was almost more than the PI could take without cracking up. He looked over at Hoyt.

"What're you waiting for? Slap the cuffs on her." Hoyt watched as his friend pulled the cuffs from the back of his gun belt and put them on a shocked and scantily clad Naomi Benson.

"You have the right to remain silent…"


End file.
